41. Chapter Forty #2
“They kicked the ball into the jungle and lost it in the foliage. They asked me for help, and they wanted me to play with them.” Bren shrugged.
He’d always been great with children and keeping them entertained, and they were always asking for him to join them.
“I wasn’t going to let this one hold me back.
” He jerked his head toward Archer. “But when I introduced him, they made him play too, and he started showing off.” This time, his eye roll was clearly all playful.
He’s even charmed Bren. I glanced at Archer again, wondering if I should be overjoyed or worried.
“Well, since you two are getting along, I’m going to visit Brook.” I forced a smile.
Are you going to be all right, Feathers?
I paused, half-turned away. Worried about me? When I looked over my shoulder and met Archer’s eyes, he smirked. I need to see her alone.
His expression sobered, something like sadness flooding our bond. I understand.
Aunt Aurora and Brook’s windows were nearly all curtained, blocking out the sun, except for the one to Brook’s room. It was a small comfort, a reminder that her condition had just begun and the sunshine was still welcome for her.
But when I knocked on the door, all I felt was heaviness.
“Izzy?” Brook shouted as she opened the door and threw herself at me, her hug as strong as ever. “You’re here! Brenton brought you home!”
“For now,” I said regretfully.
Brook pulled back, frowning. “What do you mean?”
I sighed, gesturing toward the dim interior of her home. “How’s Aunt Aurora? Asleep?”
“Yes,” Brook muttered. “We should sit on the porch to talk. We can go see her when you’ve explained what you mean.”
We settled into the chairs overlooking Everhaven and I launched into my story again. When I’d finished, she rubbed a weary hand across her face. “Revenants,” she muttered. “Do you think whatever ails us is related?”
“I’m not sure how a necromancer could also curse phoenixes with losing their magic and growing sick.” I shrugged. “The necromancer seems to want all of Emberglade to fall, but whoever or whatever is harming us wants to see the phoenixes eradicated.”
“And it’s not Prince Archer? I was sure you’d find evidence it was him or his worthless father.” Brook looked crestfallen. I stood and squished myself into the chair beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Mother isn’t doing well,” she added in a choked voice.
Brook, who rarely ever gave in to tears, was crying, her shoulders shaking from the force of her sobs.
I broke down with her, clinging to my beloved friend and weeping not only for Aunt Aurora but also for her, for Mama, for all the phoenixes and the fact that I had to leave them again when I desperately wanted to be near.
The only thing that gave me the strength to say goodbye was my urgency to find a cure.
“I can’t believe you’re sick,” I said. “I’m going to save you and Aunt Aurora. I’m going to save all of you.”
“I know,” Brook murmured. “But I hate that you have to leave to do it. I trust you—I really do—but not that prince. And I can’t punch him or I’ll hurt you, so all I can do is go give him a piece of my mind.
” She brushed a lock of reddish pink hair off her wet cheek, scowling at the jungle.
“I’m scared that your prophecy is going to come true.
The part where he hurts you somehow and destroys us all, because you’re too good-hearted to hurt another living soul. ”
“I’m going to make it back to you.” I squeezed her tight, hoping I wasn’t making promises I couldn’t keep.
After offering whispered well wishes to my sleeping aunt, I led Brook home.
“I feel all right, except for my magic being gone and being a little extra tired,” she explained with a shrug as we walked.
I waved at Blaze as we passed, dodged a child chasing her sibling, and greeted Ray with a warm smile.
No one else knew I was only here for a short visit, but it was for the best.
Back home, Mama was already seated in the living room with Bren and Archer.
“Prince Archer Emberglade,” Brook said without preamble as she strode in. “If you do anything to make Izzy uncomfortable, heartbroken, or the slightest bit inconvenienced, I will come to Rainsong and make sure every single day of the rest of your life is full of misery.”
From his cushion, Archer glanced up, his dark eyes glinting with mirth.
It was odd seeing them in the wrong color, but the playful smile was as familiar as ever.
“Good. I’d expect nothing else from a close friend.
Though Isa hasn’t told me much about her friends or family, to be honest. I can’t blame her.
” He lifted a brow. “It feels a little unequal that you can threaten me with my full name and I don’t know yours. ”
Brook set her hands on her hips, assessing him carefully.
It was clear he’d caught her by surprise with his easy response.
“I see why they call you charming,” she muttered, rolling her eyes.
“My name is Brook Wildcove, and you’d better remember it considering I might be the one to haunt you for a lifetime. ”
Archer’s grin widened. “I wouldn’t dare forget it.”
“Brook, have some tea,” Mama said, standing to fetch another mug.
I swatted at her, ordering her and Brook both to sit, and went to the steaming pot to pour Brook a mug myself.
“How are wedding plans going?” Mama asked sweetly, as if everything about this situation was normal. I wondered how much they’d discussed while I’d been with Brook.
Bren choked on his tea, setting his mug down and coughing. Brook outright laughed as I walked over, handing her a mug of tea.
Archer blinked, clearly out of his element. “I’m not the one really involved in those. I’m afraid my sister has been tormenting Isa with wedding planning for days now, so she could tell you more.”
“Isa?” Brook interrupted. “You have a nickname for her that isn’t fire demon?”
“We had to convince my father’s court we’re madly in love.”
Brook dramatically pretended to gag herself, but her disgust was an act. Like Mama, she’d warmed up to Archer after hearing my accounts of him.
I glanced back at where he sat, continuing to converse with Mama, Bren, and Brook as if this was the most natural thing in the world. It was surreal, seeing him in my home, drinking tea.
Like he belonged.
Like he didn’t hate my kind, my family, my friends.
Like he cared.
“Isa.” My nickname on Archer’s lips, spoken simply yet with such tenderness, made me stiffen and try to douse the warmth that blossomed in my chest. Bringing him to Everhaven with me was causing all kinds of confusion, making me think of Mama’s words and filling me with fear.
I couldn’t trust my heart and the way the bond affected my feelings, couldn’t trust that this wasn’t all an act from Archer for his own self-preservation.
“What happened to Feathers?” I asked, forcing my tone to sound carefree.
I didn’t turn from my position with my elbows resting on the balcony railing as I gazed into the jungle and the shimmering Passionfire snaking through it.
A hummingbird flitted through the air, darting toward its nest, and I tracked its movements.
“Why didn’t you tell me how your own mother is suffering?” Confusion, hurt, and hesitation flooded the space between us, and I couldn’t stand it.